Camille Claudel inspires Carlotta Viscovo's theatrical performance L'estasi della lotta

Actress Carlotta Viscovo, born in 1977 and a graduate of the Scuola del Teatro Stabile di Torino under Luca Ronconi in 2000, channels her experience as a union spokesperson for performing arts workers into the show L'estasi della lotta, which intertwines her personal struggles with the biography of sculptor Camille Claudel. The project, developed with playwright Angela Dematté and choreographer Alessandra Cristiani, debuted in autumn 2024 at the FIT Festival in Lugano, later performed at Teatro Fontana in Milan, and is scheduled for April 15, 2025 at Teatro G. Testori in Forlì. Viscovo had been fascinated by Claudel since 2004 after seeing her works in Paris. The performance blends monologue, visual installation, and movement, recreating Claudel's sculptures such as Rêve au coin du feu, L'implorante, L'homme penché, and Persée et la Gorgone, as well as Rodin's Le Baiser and Tête de Camille Claudel. A black-and-white video of workers' protests introduces the monologue, which questions the coexistence of political activism and artistic vocation. The show explores dichotomies like economy versus artistic freedom, compromise versus justice, and public versus private, without offering definitive answers.